


Jealousy is Killer, Communication is Key

by freckledandspectacled



Series: Prompt Fills [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Dancing, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Heart-to-Heart, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jealouswald, Jealousy, Kissing, Love, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Panic Attacks, Poor Ed, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Psychopaths In Love, Rape/Non-con Elements, Tumblr Prompt, Very Minor, like blink and you miss it, there are a lot of emotions okay, where they work out and are a happy couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:37:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8945836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledandspectacled/pseuds/freckledandspectacled
Summary: People won't stop flirting with Oswald at social events, and Ed decides to show Oswald why it bothers him so much. When his plan backfires horribly, the emotional consequences for the pair are steep.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Done for a prompt on tumblr: "Someone gets touchy feely with Os in front of Ed. Os doesn't get this is flirting."
> 
> I always write too much for prompts lol, just look at the fucking wedding series. Anyways, this fic comes with a free side of Eduardo Flamingo doing the Flamenco, Alfred being the real MVP, and references to Ed’s history of child abuse (Which is pretty evident in his reactions to things. What? If Gotham won’t explore it, I’m gonna have to pick up the slack.)
> 
> Oh, and the ending is corny as hell: you have been warned.

Ed watches as a tall man runs his hand down Oswald’s arm, squeezing his bicep and leaning into his space. Ed doesn’t know who he is, just that he’s too important to kill. He turns away, trying to focus on the vapid woman in front of him, but the man continues to blatantly flirt with _his fiancé, for goodness’ sake, have some decency_.

Oswald allows the man’s touches, and he must be completely oblivious to his intentions, because this is beyond inappropriate and Ed can practically feel himself turning green with jealousy. Eventually Oswald excuses himself from the man’s grasp, but not because he found it distasteful. Oh no, just to make conversation with a woman in a shimmering red dress, her claws digging into his lover as she bears down on him, tilting her head, no doubt hoping Oswald will catch the scent of her perfume.

It’s just going to be one person after another, Ed realizes. His man in the most powerful person in Gotham, everyone is going to try to cozy up to him. They’re going to need to have a talk, Ed decides. A talk about just how familiar Oswald should allow people to get with him. For his part, Ed keeps a professional distance at all times during events like these. This wasn’t the criminal underbelly, there was no need to get that friendly with these elites.

***

Later, during the car ride home, Ed broaches the subject.

“You had quite a few admirers tonight,” Ed begins.

“Yes, many people seem to be very interested in my success, and who am I to turn down that conversation?” Oswald says, preening.

“Of course, that’s not all they were interested in, Oswald,” Ed insinuates.

“You think they have ulterior motives? This is Gotham, that’s a given,” Oswald scoffs.

“I think at least half of them wanted to sleep with you,” Ed says. Clearly, he needs to be more explicit.

“That’s ridiculous, Ed.”

“They were flirting with you!” Ed raises his voice, his emotions high after watching Oswald being fondled in front of him all night. Now those emotions were getting the better of him.

“We’re engaged, and the whole city knows it, that shouldn’t be happening,” he adds, trying to appeal to his sense of propriety.

“They were being friendly, it’s business, Ed,” Oswald soothes, taking his hand. There was a very slim chance they wanted him in that way, Oswald reasoned.

“Was it business when that woman kept her hand on your chest for ten minutes, or that man put his arm around your waist?” Perhaps it was, Ed mused. The kind of business that some people took care of by sleeping their way to what they wanted. He was fuming.

“Physical touch is a negotiation strategy favourable to people who want something,” Oswald reasons.

“Well, it bothers me that they were touching you like that, Oz,” Ed says. If Oswald doesn’t understand their motivations, perhaps he’ll at least take Ed’s feelings into account.

“That’s how things are done, don’t let it bother you,” Oswald says instead, patting his hand.

Suddenly it is clear to Ed that if he wants Oswald to understand his feelings, he’ll need to be in his shoes. He nods in response to Oswald, and the rest of the ride is silent.

***

The next gala they attend takes place in Wayne Manor, and when the time comes, Ed is ready to put his plan into action. Oswald leaves him to schmooze donors and millionaires, and he has his opportunity.

Ed takes a flute of champagne and hovers at the edge of the dance floor, taking care to keep his body language open and look approachable. It doesn’t take long for a man to approach him.

The man is a bit shorter than him, but his hair certainly adds some height. There’s a few strands of pink in his quiff, and they flop over as he bends, taking hold of Ed’s hand and kissing the back of it.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” _Perfect_. He glances over his shoulder, feigning coyness as he looks to see if Oswald is watching. He is. Oh, this is too easy.

“Edward. Nygma,” he says with a smile. 

“Eduardo Flamingo,” the man says, bowing low. “Our names are so similar; would you mind if I just call you Gorgeous?”

Ed smiles insincerely, but Eduardo doesn’t seem to notice, “How sweet.” Eduardo is really laying it on thick, but Ed doesn’t want to put him off. He’s an excellent candidate for what Ed has planned.

“Would you like to dance with me, Gorgeous?” Just like that, he makes Ed’s scheme that much easier.

“Sure,” he replies. Eduardo leads him away by his hand, which he has yet to release since he first laid a kiss upon it. Ed drops his champagne off on a table, untouched. He is pulled over to the DJ, unable to hear what it is Eduardo requests as he whispers to the DJ and hands him a crisp hundred-dollar bill. Well done. At least the man has class.

When the current song winds down Eduardo leads him onto the floor, and as the first chords play Ed identifies the familiar rhythms of flamenco. Excellent. The dance typically involves pseudo-sexual moves, the tight press of the dancers together, and, less importantly for Ed’s purposes, a lot of spinning. It’s the perfect method to make Oswald jealous, and he can execute it under the guise of staying true to the traditional moves of the dance. It’s foolproof.

Eduardo leads, spinning him across the floor. The dance starts out at typical levels of sauciness, but every time Eduardo dips him his hand creeps farther up Ed’s thigh. They’ve been dancing for about a minute when it goes too far for Ed’s taste. The next time Eduardo hitches Ed’s thigh around his hip he grabs him mid-thigh, nothing wrong with that. But as Ed tips backwards his hand slides all the way up to cup his ass, squeezing. Ed shoots back upright, grabbing him by the wrist and moving Eduardo’s hand onto his waist, where it should be.

“I’m engaged,” Ed laughs, hoping to continue the dance on friendly terms. He wants to make Oswald jealous, sure, but he won’t go that far. Eduardo has no reason to react poorly, he hardly led him on, after all.

“I don’t care,” Eduardo smirks, and suddenly Ed realizes he may be in trouble. Eduardo locks his arm around the small of Ed’s back, putting a hand around the nape of his neck and pulling him in for a jarring kiss.

Ed gets his arms between them, pushing against his chest, trying to break the kiss and put distance between them. Eduardo bites down on Ed’s bottom lip and it _hurts_ , the bite getting harder the more he tries to push him away. Eduardo grabs his wrists, releasing his bottom lip as he does. Ed licks at his lip, not tasting any blood. _Thank God for small miracles_. 

“Let go of me,” he demands, trying to tug his wrists out of Eduardo’s grip. He’s strong, and his hands tighten painfully in response to Ed’s struggling.

“You don’t have to pretend. I know you want me, Gorgeous,” Eduardo says haughtily. His wide grin, mustache and goatee suddenly remind Ed of a cartoon villain. Everyone is staring at them, he realizes. He’s making a scene. Oh, crud. Suddenly Ed is too afraid to attempt anything drastic to break away, not with everyone watching. He’s stuck.

“Release my fiancé this _instant_ , or I will put you in the _ground_ ,” Oswald snarls. His eyes are alight with fury, and he has a white-knuckled grip on his cane. Eduardo lets go of his wrists, and Ed immediately puts distance between them.

“No problem, amigo. Chill out. We were just having fun, right, Gorgeous?” he smiles, and it looks predatory to Ed. Alfred steps through the crowd, two men in black and white suits behind him. Ear pieces spiral down to disappear into their collars, in case the suits didn’t make it obvious enough that they were here for security.

“Mr. Flamingo, I don’t believe you were invited,” He says, and Ed can detect a sharp edge underneath his cool tone.

“What a terrible oversight,” Eduardo replies. Ed’s not sure if he means on his behalf, or his host’s.

“Well, I’ll just have these two nice gentleman escort you to the door then, shall I?” Alfred says, and despite the monotone recitation, something in his eyes suggests a threat should Eduardo decide not to comply.

Eduardo grumbles, turning to the exit without another word as the guards tail him. Ed sighs in relief, unaware he had been holding his breath.

“You alright, mate?” Alfred asks, handing him a glass of water from who knows where. Clearly Alfred has some sort of supernatural power for anticipating people’s needs, because Ed didn’t even realize how dry his mouth had gotten until Alfred presented him with a cool glass of water.

“Thank you,” Ed says, gratefully taking long sips.

“Do you want to go home?” Oswald asks, and for some reason that makes Ed want to cry.

“No, no. The night’s still young, I don’t want to keep you from enjoying yourself. I won’t get into any more trouble, I promise.”

Oswald takes him by the shoulders, soothing over them and then stroking his back. Ed doesn’t want to cry, not here, but Oswald is being so _kind_ to him. He doesn’t even know that Ed started this whole thing on purpose. Not that Ed meant for it to end like this, of course. He feels horrible. It must show on his face, because Oswald immediately pulls him into a hug. Ed clings tightly to him. He vaguely realizes his hands are shaking.

“Forget them,” Oswald whispers, “we’re going home.”

Ed has never felt so grateful to have anyone, and yet so undeserving. Even after the scene he caused, Oswald was still putting him first.

“I’ll pull the car around for you,” Alfred says graciously, excusing himself, possibly to give them a moment.

“Oswald, I’m so-”

“Not here, Eddie, we’ll discuss this in the car.” Ed shuts up. Perhaps he was wrong about Oswald’s reasons for wanting to go. Oswald must still be furious with him. There’s no other explanation for this. He’s going to be even more angry when he finds out this was intentional. Ed can feel himself shaking.

Alfred comes back shortly, leading them out to their car. They collect their driver from the lounge where the chauffeurs are playing poker.

“Have a good night, Oswald, Edward,” Alfred says, nodding to each of them. “I’ll let Master Wayne know you’ve gone home for the night, I’m sure he’ll be disappointed.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Oswald says, shaking his hand, “We appreciate it.”

“We really do,” Ed adds, shaking his hand in turn. Alfred pats him on the shoulder with his other hand before letting him go.

“Take care,” the butler adds, executing a brisk military turn and heading back to the party.

Their driver opens the door, and Ed climbs in first, shuffling over to the other side to make room for Oswald.

“Ozzie, you don’t have to do this, I’ll be fine on my own. Stay, mingle. I’ll be alright.” He tries to keep his tone affable, but he's petrified. He doesn't want to be stuck in the car with Oz while he's angry, there'll be nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.

“You are more important to me than _mingling_ , Ed, we’re both going home. Driver?” Oswald calls, and they instantly move into first gear. _That's it, then_. 

“I’m sorry, Oswald. I ruined this whole night. I caused a scene in front of all of those people, it was an _embarrassment_ -”

“Edward, the only embarrassment was that man’s behaviour. It was not your fault that he couldn’t take no for an answer-”

“It was my fault!” Ed yells. Oswald goes silent. He’s been so patient, why is he being so patient? Ed can’t understand it; he turned their evening into a train wreck and Oswald was trying to excuse his behavior? It doesn't make sense. Why is Oswald so calm? Ed doesn't feel calm at all.

“ _It was my fault_ ,” Ed whispers, “I wanted to make you jealous, that’s the only reason I danced with him in the first place.” Tears fall at last. Oswald must hate him right now.

When Oswald doesn’t say anything in response, it’s as good as confirmation. Ed sobs, covering his face. He’s ruined _everything_ , and now Oswald knows it. He's going to be furious.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry-” then Oswald’s hands are on him. Ed pulls away, putting his arms out to defend himself, but Oswald doesn’t hit him.

“Ed- Eddie, it’s okay, I’m not mad. I’m not mad at you…” Oswald soothes him, and at his words Ed goes slack, allowing himself to be pulled into Oswald’s arms. He puts his arms around Oswald in turn as Oswald holds him close, burying his face into Oswald's chest to muffle the pathetic noises he’s making. 

When he calms down enough Ed speaks again, “You should be, Oz. I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry. I was trying to make you understand- it doesn’t matter. I should have just dealt with my feelings and left it alone.”

“What you did probably wasn’t the best form of communication, but…” Oswald pauses, then sighs. “I shouldn’t have brushed aside what you were feeling, it was wrong of me. What you did tonight made me realize how you must have felt when others put their hands on me, because seeing you with him… It made me incredibly jealous. Even before he did anything untoward. From the instant he held your hand I was… Absolutely _seething_.”

Ed takes Oswald’s hand in his, squeezing it. _Apology accepted_.

“So, I’m sorry, too. What I said before invalidated your feelings, and I should have realized what I was doing, because then it wouldn’t have come to this. I know you have trouble with that, I should have been better to you,” Oswald says, placing a kiss on the back of Ed’s hand, trying to erase the other man from his skin.

“Let’s just both be sorry and never do this again,” Ed mumbles, snuggling into Oswald’s hold.

“I’ll be a better listener,” Oswald promises.

“I won’t scheme when it comes to our relationship,” Ed adds.

“You do realize your scheming got me to confess that I loved you? Sometimes I need it, Edward, and you always know when I do. I'm too obstinate, sometimes.”

“I shouldn’t have done that either, Oz,” Ed says, shaking his head, “I was so angry, it almost destroyed us.”

“But it didn’t,” Oswald insists, “and I might never have told you otherwise.” Ed makes a noise of disagreement, closing his eyes and just letting himself be held.

“Are you alright, Ed? He truly didn’t hurt you?” Oswald asks, concern evident in his voice. 

“No, nothing too bad.” Ed has never felt so safe, and he realizes Oswald was never mad at him, not once tonight. Not even for a moment. He had only been concerned for his safety, wanted to comfort him. Ed’s never had love this unconditional, had someone who regards him so positively, despite what he’s done.

“I don’t deserve you,” Ed whispers into Oswald’s coat. Oswald cups Ed’s face in one hand, tilting his head up so he can look into Ed’s eyes.

“I think the same thing about you every day.”

They kiss, and all is forgiven.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone need a tissue, some condoms? Comment below. Tell me how you really feel.


End file.
